Adjustable garment hanger



June 20, 1950 w. s. BAER, SR

ADJUSTABLE GARMENT HANGER Filed Jan. 31, 1948- IN V EN TOR.

Wa/fer 5. Baer', 6r:

Patented June 20, 1950 UNITED STATES 2,512,133. Y Q ADJUSTABIJE GARMENT :HANGEB,

alters. :Baer, Sr.,.Yeadon,v Pa. Application "January 31, 1948, Serial No..'5,519-

.5 Claims. (01. 223E-90F) This invention relates to garment hangers-and more particularly to a garment hanger having a wide range of adaptability for garments of various sizes and types, and which particularly possesses certain desirable features not incorporated in any other type of garment hanger to my knowledge.

It is the principal 'obj'ectof the present invention to provide a garment hanger capable of being made by mass production methods, suitable for simultaneously supporting aplurality of garments in form-fitting condition, and capable of easy and simple-adjustment to fit garments varying in size.

It is a further object of the present invention, in addition to providingarched and horizontally curved, form-fitting shoulder plates for supporting a coat, which are iadjustableto accommodate a Wide range of sizes, that the said shoulder plates rest upon the top of a center piece or bar and that they be arched to provide a retaining lock action to hold in place unbuttoned garments like many Womens fur coats.

It is a further object of the present invention to not only provide a form-fitting, adjustable garment hanger having provisions to properly fit and retain in place coatsof various sizes, but also to provide additional attachments for supporting one or more skirts or pairs of trousers in accordance with the desire of the user.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a garment hanger in which the skirt or trouser hanging portions are adapted to be locked in supporting position, and to provide a wire lock or clamp which, when in an unlocked and horizontal position, serves to hold the coat lapels apart and to enable easier removal of a pair of trousers'or askirt.

It is a further object ofthe present invention to eliminate frictional contact between the arched and horizontally curved shoulder or end plates and the center piece or bar when an adjustment is being made to accommodate the width of any particular coat, by aconstruction wherein the arched shoulder or end plates of the garment'hanger are attached tothe center piece by partially loose rivets and bolts with knurled nuts, the adjustment by bolt and-knurled nut enabling an easy locking adjustment when adapting the hanger to a coat.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an ofisetor backward curve in the center piece to fit the normal coat and eliminate a bulge in the cloth whena coatis placed on the hanger.

Other objects and advantageous'features of the inventionwillbe apparent'from the specification and claims. l

The nature and characteristic features of the invention will be=morereadily understood from the following description, taken in connection with accompanying drawings'forming part hereof, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a clothes hanger embodying the main features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof;

Fig. -3 is an end view;

Fig. 4' isan enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on line A-A of Fig. 1,-illustratingthe adjusting bolt and knurled nut;-

Fig. 5 is an end=view of the'form-fitting end plates depicting the crimped down edges.

It should, of course, be understood that the description and drawings herein "are merely illustrative, and that various modifications and changesmay be made in the structure disclosed without departing from the spirit of the --invention.

Referring to thedrawings" in detail, the garment hanger includes a body portion "6 formed from a suitable length of flat bar material bent to shape to'provide a medial portion arcuately curved or bowed in the'direction of its length both laterally and downwardly, as seen from Figs. 2 and 1 respectively, the ends of said medial portion being integral with depending legs '1 the upper portions l' of which-are inwardlyoflset as seen from Fig. 1.

Extending between the lower ends of the'legs 1 and suitably secured at its ends to said legs, is the supporting rod 18 here-shown as formed from tubular stock,"the ro'd'8 being adapted for supporting azpairbf'itrousers', a skirt, or other garment without possibility of wrinklingor other undesirable results.

Upon thesbody: portion .6, Izmountpivotally the clamp member =9 shaped'from zalen'gth of stout wire material, said clamp member f9 being U- shaped in general outlineqas'seen fromFig. .1'sO

as to provide an elongated medial portion '20 adapted for longitudinal contact with one side surface of the: rod .Bwhen the clamp member is in its loweredpositionshown in Fig. 1.

Extending :upwardly from :the elongated straight medial porti'on' zll of theclamp member "9 are the arms III of said clamp memberthe free ends 22 of which are: outturned and sprung into openings 23 forme'd' inthe' upper portion -l' of *the legs 1 a so? that said clamp amember is 3 pivotally mounted for swinging movement upon the body portion. Thus, in one position of the clamp member 9, it is swung to an upper or horizontal position shown in Fig. 3, while in another extreme position it is swung to its lower or clamping position shown in Fig. 1.

For the purpose of locking the clamp member in its lowered position, I provide ofiset locking portions 18 on the clamp member disposed immediately below said pivotal connections to the body portion, and formed in the upper portions 1' of the legs 1 are shallow locking recesses into which the locking portions 18 are adapted to snap when the clamp member is moved to its extreme lower position. In this connection, it may be noted that normally the upwardly extended arms of the clamp member 9 are sprung apart so that said arms are resiliently forced inwardly when the clamp member is swung to its lower posi tion, so that the locking portions 18 of the clamp member will snap into the-locking recesses of the legs 1 and will remain in said recesses without possibility of loosening of the clamp except under the control of the user.

By reason of the outwardly spring normal positions of the arms of the clamp member, the clamp member when swung to its upper position shown in Fig. 3, will remain in said position, because the locking portions i8 will constitute projections engaging the adjacent side edges of the upper portions I of the legs I. As a result, the clamp member has utility in its upwardly extended position shown in Fig. 3, in that it serves to hold the lapels of a coat apart, and additionally, is adjusted to, and remains in, a stationary position in which it will not interfere with the placement upon the rod 8 of a pair of trousers or a, skirt, or the removal from said rod of the trousers or skirt.

Extending upwardly from the center of the body portion 6 is the offset supporting hook. it, said olTset construction of the supporting hook being best shown in Fig. 3 and being intended to balance the garment hanger as a whole by counteracting the weight distribution of the body portion and parts associated therewith. Addi tionally, the onset construction of the supporting hook Ill serves to clear large collars such as might be provided on ladies fur coats or similar garments.

Adjustably mounted on the body portion at opposite sides of the garment hanger are the shoulder pieces 12 each of which has a broadened outer or free end as best seen from Fig. 2, for the purpose of providing abroad support for the shoulders of a coat or similar garment, each of said shoulder pieces tapering toward the center of the garment hanger so as to have an inner end substantially coextensive in breadth with the body portion 6.

Formed in the respective shoulder pieces i2 are longitudinal slots l3, which are curved in line with the lateral curvature of the body portion 6, said shoulder pieces being additionally curved longitudinally correspondingly to the downward curvature of said body portion as seen in Fig. 1.

The elongated closed slots I3 extend substantially from end to end of the shoulder pieces l2, and are adapted to register with elongated slots I l formed in the body portion 6 and also curved along the line of curvature of said body portion.

Extending through the respective slots are rivets 14 which have loose engagement with the shoulder pieces and body portion, so as normally to permit ireesliding-movement'oi said shoulder pieces upon the body portion. However, for the purpose of locking the shoulder pieces in selected positions to which adjusted upon the body portion, I provide the threaded lock members or bolts i extending through the registering openings 24 and having threaded shanks 16 extending downwardly below the body portion, there being threaded upon said shanks the knurled nuts i1 bearing against the lower face of the-body portion 6.

Thus, by loosening of the knurled nut H, the shoulder pieces 12 can be adjusted outwardly or inwardly, so as to extend the overall length of the garment hanger as desired. In this connection, it may be noted that the particular arrangement of the registering slots permits a wide range of adjustment of the shoulder pieces,

since the inner ends of the shoulder pieces carrying the bolts l5 can first be adjusted fully to the outer ends of the slots of the body portion 6, so that in one position of the shoulder pieces, the outer-ends thereof are substantially aligned with thelegs of the body portion while in another extreme position said shoulder pieces are adjusted for practically their entire lengths to an outer position in which the inner ends of the shoulder pieces are in substantial alignment with the legs of the body portion.

In any event, selected adjustments can be effected speedily and with ease, simply by loosening of the knurled nuts whereupon the body portions are free to slide to new adjusted positions upon the body portion 6.

I claim:

1. In a garment hanger an elongated body having closed longitudinal slots in its end portions, extension arms overlying the respective end portions of the body and having longitudinal closed slots registering with the slots of the body, there being bolt-receiving openings formed in the inner ends of the extension arms and spaced from the inner ends of the slots of said arms, bolts extending through said openings, lock nuts threadable on the shanks of the bolts and against the under sides of said end portions of the body, said bolts extending through the slots of the body, and rivets loosely extending through the registering slots of the extension arms and body.

2. In a garment hanger an elongated body longitudinally curved laterally and downwardly, there being elongated closed slots formed in the end portions of said body, tapered extension arms mounted on the end portions of the body, said extension arms having elongated closed slots extending substantially from end to end thereof, the slots of the arms and body registering and being longitudinally curved correspondingly to the curvature of the body, there being boltreceiving openings formed in the inner ends of the extension arms, bolts extending through said openings and through the slots of the body, lock nuts threadable on the shanks of the bolts and against the underside of the body, and rivets loosely extended through the registering slots of the extension arms and body.

3. In a garment hanger a body including a bowed medial portion, legs integral with the ends of said medial portion and depending therefrom, a supporting rod extending between and supported by the lower ends of said legs, a U-shaped clamp member having upwardly extended arms pivotally mounted in the upper portions of said legs, locking projections formed on the arms of said clamp member below,- the pivotal connections, and said upper portions of the legs having locking recesses in which said projections are received in one position of the clamp member.

4. In a garment hanger a laterally and downwardly bowed body portion, legs integral with the ends of the body portion and having inwardly offset upper portions, an elongated trousers-supporting rod extending between the lower ends of said legs and rigidly connecting the same, a clamp member formed from a length of wire material bent to a general U shape and pivotally mounted upon the body portion, the inwardly ofiset upper portions of said legs having aligned openings, said clamp member including upwardly extended arms having outurned free ends extending through said openings to provide a pivotal mounting of the clamp member upon the body portion, there being locking recesses formed in the inwardly offset upper portions of the legs immediately below said pivotal connections, and said arms of the clamp member including projections adapted to snap into said recesses in lowered position of the clamp member, said projections adapted to engage one side of the legs in an upper position of the clamp member to retain the clamp member in said upper position.

5. In a garment hanger a one-piece body portion including an elongated medial portion and legs integral and depending from the ends of said body portion, said legs including inwardlt" offset upper portions, 2, trousers-supporting rod extending between the lower ends of the legs and rigidly connecting the same, a clamp member of wire material including spring arms pivoted in the upper portions of said legs, said spring arms having outwardly extended projections immediately below the pivotal connections of the arms to the legs and the legs having locking recesses into which said projections are adapted to snap, said spring arms :being normally sprung outwardly to an extent as to cause said projections to engage the sides of the legs in an upper position of the clamp member to retain said clamp member in said upper position.

WALTER S. BAER, SR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS- Number Name Date 566,509 Flegal Aug. 25, 1896 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 20,884 Great Britain of 1904 636,467 France Jan. 12, 1928 

